Clearest sign yet Trump is preparing to blitz Iran as huge US air armada of DOZENS of military jets lands in UK & Europe

THE US Air Force has surged more than 40 extra jets into the UK and Europe – including stealth fighter bombers and air to air refuellers – amid fears it will strike Iran.
The move is the clearest sign yet that US President Donald Trump is preparing to blitz the country after
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Footage shows one of the four KC-135 Stratotankers landing at Glasgow Prestwick Airport on Monday
Credit: YouTube/Daniel Sander
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Dozens of US Air Force aircraft, mostly KC-46A Pegasus and KC-135 Stratotankers, that left the US last night are starting to reach Europe
Credit: FlightRadar24/X
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Iran State Radio and Television (IRIB) building was smoking after a direct Israeli strike
Credit: REXNEWS
At least 30 large air-to-air refuellers swooped across the Atlantic this week followed by at least a dozen F-22 Raptors and F-35
Lightning
jets.
The USS Nimitz aircraft carrier is also
The US President has already warned the "full strength and might" of the military would be used if America was attacked.
Dozens of USAF KC-135 Stratotanker refuelers and KC-46 Pegagus tankers swooped into bases in Scotland, Germany, Spain and Crete.
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At least four KC-135 Stratotankers landed at
Glasgow
Prestwick Airport on Monday.
Hours later the Pentagon scrambled at least a dozen F-22 and F-35 fighter bombers to reinforce troops in Europe and the Middle East.
The KC-135s and KC-46s are designed to refuel fighter jets so they can stay airborne for longer and fly further to hit targets.
Experts said the F-22s and F-35s would most likely be used to bolster Israel's air defence amid fears Tel Aviv cold run low in its Iron Dome and interceptor missiles.
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Latest
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But there are fears the fighter bombers could also be used to strike targets inside
Iran
.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said he had ordered 'the deployment of additional capabilities' to the Middle East amid spiralling fears of World War Three.
Iran provoking Trump would be grave mistake - Israel is doing world a favour
But he insisted their role was 'defensive'.
He said: 'Protecting US forces is our top priority and these deployments are intended to enhance our defensive posture in the region.'
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Jets also landed in
Italy
and Estonia, as well as Scotland,
Spain
and Crete.
American ships have also been used to defend against Iranian missiles aimed at Israel, alongside ground-based interceptors, US officials revealed to
It came as a US defence official said: 'Consistent with the duty to protect US forces in the Middle East, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth directed the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group to the U.S. Central Command are of responsibility to sustain our defensive posture and safeguard American personnel.
'In the U.S. European Command area of operations the U.S. Navy continues to conduct operations in the Eastern Mediterranean in support of US national security objectives.'
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A mere few hours ago it was revealed that the
The hulking $4.5billion nuclear-powered supercarrier, nicknamed Old Salt, is the flagship of the deadly Carrier Strike Group 11.
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Trump gestures after returning early from the G7 Leaders' Summit in Canada
Credit: Reuters
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A defence source said their most likely role would be to intercept missiles fired at Israel if Tel Aviv runs out of air defence missiles
Credit: FlightRadar24/X
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Dozens of USAF KC-135 Stratotanker refuelers as well as KC-46 Pegagus tankers swooped into bases in Scotland, Germany, Spain and Crete
Credit: Youtube
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The Pegasus jets and Stratotankers are designed to refuel fighter jets in mid-air
Credit: Jordan Castelan
The strike group includes Carrier Air Wing Seventeen and Destroyer Squadron Nine - a potent combination of military hardware that will strike fear into Iran.
The Nimitz left the South
China
Sea Monday morning heading west towards the Middle East, where it will be stationed.
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The USS Nimitz will provide a major boost to
US military
presence in the region.
And The Sun knows first hand of the true might of this awesome 100,000 ton warship.
Trump has also
He has also urged Tehran to evacuate "everyone".
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Israel
's ambassador also hinted at something big on the horizon - promising lethal "surprises" on Thursday that would dwarf its operations to date.
As Trump rushed back meet his National Security Council, he vowed he was chasing something "better than a ceasefire", which will force Iran into a "complete give up".
He refused to specify the endgame, but ominously warned: "You're going to find out over the next two days."
Trump's prophecy coincides with one from the Israeli ambassador Yechiel Leiter, who said: "We've pulled off a number of surprises.
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The final destination is unknown
Credit: FlightRadar24/X
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The aircraft carrier USS Nimitz is heading for the Middle East
Credit: AFP
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A missile streaking over Jerusalem as sirens rang out
Credit: EPA
"When the dust settles, you're going to see some surprises on Thursday night and Friday that will make the beeper operation almost seem simple."
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He was referring to Israel's incredible operation to detonate explosives planted in thousands of pagers owned by Hezbollah members in Lebanon.
Trump dramatically
Israel and Iran continue to trade missiles for a fifth day, with Tehran's civilians fleeing the city in their thousands and a handful of casualties reported by Tel Aviv.
The IDF said it has
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Iran claimed today it had hit the HQ of Israel's intelligence agency Mossad - though this has not been confirmed - and repeatedly warned of stepping up missile and drone attacks.
Israel reported this morning that around 30 missiles were involved in Iran's latest wave.
Read more on the Irish Sun
Tension across the Middle East is now skyrocketing as the conflict threatens to spiral into a wider regional war after Pakistan called for the Islamic world to back Iran.
Islamabad even warned they will nuke Israel, a senior Iranian general claimed.
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Sun's trip onboard USS Nimitz
By
AS America sends the flagship USS Nimitz supercarrier to the Middle East amid rising tensions, the Sun reveals what life is like onboard.
The Sun spent two days on board the Nimitz, nicknamed Old Salt, a $4.5billion nuclear-powered supercarrier weighing almost 100,000 tons.
The warship is 1,092ft long and 252ft wide and has a four and a half acre flight deck.
The massive 117,000 sq ft warship boasts four aircraft catapults and jets are brought up to the deck using four giant elevators from the hangar deep below the 4.5 acre flight deck.
The supercarrier, the flagship of Carrier Strike Group 11, holds F/A-18 Super Hornets, EA-18G Growlers and F-35C stealth strike fighters.
Inside the ten floor, 3,000 room hull underneath the flight deck life is one slick operation.
There are several cafeterias, gyms, a Starbucks coffee shop and 'luxury' state rooms for 'Distinguished Visitors'.
Since it is nuclear-powered, the Nimitz – call sign NMTZ - can operate for up to 20 years without refueling.
The Nimitz is the world's second largest supercarrier, only behind the Gerald R Ford.
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The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Ghadir site in Tehran has been obliterated by Israel in recent days
Credit: AFP
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The roads out of Tehran were jammed with cars as Trump ordered the city to evacuate
Credit: Reuters

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The fact that these deaths did not reflect the demographic of Hamas combatants "points to indiscriminate attacks." The use of heavy weapons, including airstrikes, on civilian shelters (including tent encampments and schools) "raise concerns about Israel's compliance with the principles of precautions in attack, and proportionality". Attacks on hospitals and medical centres in Gaza included "direct strikes, sieges, the use of snipers, raids, and the apparent arbitrary detention and ill-treatment of medical staff, patients and their companions, and internally displaced persons (IDPs) sheltering at hospitals", and the killing of many emergency medical workers. Israel had failed to comply with binding International Court of Justice (ICJ) rulings in early 2024 to provide humanitarian aid in Rafah "with a view to prevent the commission of acts within the scope of the Genocide Convention." 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Yet, the divisions remain. Despite last night's report, we are in for a protracted period of step-by-step diplomacy. Ms Kallas will canvas the views of 27 foreign ministers on Monday, and then brief EU leaders during their summit in Brussels next Thursday. Yesterday, diplomats were emphasising the need for unity. So sensitive is the Israel-Gaza issue, that a menu of options against Israel will be kept off the table for now. "There are those among the 17 (member states) who wanted the review but who don't actually want any measures against Israel to be taken," says a senior EU official. "They want to use this as a way of applying pressure to Israel. There are those who definitely want measures to be taken, and there are those who didn't even want the review in the first place." A senior EU diplomat, from a country in favour of the review, said: "It's clear what needs to happen: first of all, we want as broad agreement as possible on the outcome of the review. 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This week, Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot spearheaded a joint letter - co-signed by Tánaiste Simon Harris, as well as the foreign ministers of Finland, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden - calling on Ms Kallas to ensure that the EU is compliant with last summer's ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories. The advisory opinion held that Israel's occupation was illegal, and that countries were obliged to ensure they did not support the occupation through trade. The Belgian initiative chimes with the Irish government's view that the ICJ ruling is binding on EU member states and that a ban on products from illegal settlements is effectively a legal obligation (ie, the legal impetus for the Occupied Territories Bill). Belgium expects other countries to join the call. A senior diplomat from one member state said his government was in favour of the Belgian initiative, but preferred not to sign the letter given that its recommendation - banning settlement products - was one of the "options" that could put pressure on fragile EU unity. The private view within the European Commission is that the EU is broadly in line with the ICJ ruling. However, the Commission has sent a number of legal opinions to the member state working group on international judicial affairs (COJUR). "The issue has been back and forth without any consensus," says a senior EU official. "It's never reached the political level, but it's been discussed by diplomats." The Belgian letter essentially calls for Ms Kallas - who represents both the Commission and member states - to speed the process up. It urges the Commission to bring forward measures to ensure that member states are in compliance, given that the "European Union is founded on the values as stated in the UN Charter, such as the respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and human rights…[and that] all EU Member States are parties to the Statute of the International Court of Justice." Whether the Commission will introduce new legislation to reflect the growing clamour - as reflected in the Occupied Territories Bill - for a ban on goods coming from illegal Israeli settlements remains to be seen. One source suggests that the Commission could provide for individual member states to make their own national arrangements. The fact that the review of Israel's conduct, for so long a disregarded Irish-Spanish gambit, has finally happened and does not pull any punches is, relative to the EU's tortuous policy on Gaza, an achievement. However, the length of time it has taken to hold Israel to account, and the fact that even now a punitive response could take several months, will further call into question the EU's moral backbone, with the death toll in Gaza standing at over 56,000, according to Palestinian authorities. The fact that the EU's role in foreign policy necessarily gives each member states a veto (foreign policy is normally a fundamental expression of national sovereignty) is of meagre comfort to those who believe Europe should have done more and done it quicker. Diplomats are increasingly frustrated that in the generational challenges of our time - Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and Israel's response to the Hamas October 7 attacks - the EU's voice has been blunted by division and national vetoes. In the event that Ms Kallas does provide a menu of responses to foreign ministers in July, it is by no means clear what happens next. The EU has never taken action against a trade partner for such a breach of a trade agreement. A full suspension of the Association Agreement would require unanimity, with a Hungarian, German and Czech veto almost certain. There has been speculation that suspending elements of EU Israel trade would only require a so-called Qualified Majority Vote (QMV). On the basis of the 19 countries which supported a review, that qualified majority could be reached. However, one EU official questioned whether even this would be possible. "Even suspending some trade could be seen as a sanctions measure, and that would therefore require unanimity," said the official. "We've also discussed a complete ban on trade with Israel, and that would be against our WTO obligations - so that is a non starter." For any measure to be taken it would require a proposal from the European Commission, meaning the issue runs - once again - straight into national divisions. On only two occasions in the history of the EU has an issue gone to a vote among the College of 27 commissioners (each from a member state) since the body strives for consensus. There is no doubt that attitudes to Israel have hardened, even among its traditional allies. Last month, the German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said in a TV interview: "What the Israeli army is doing in the Gaza Strip, I no longer understand the goal. To harm the civilian population in such a way … can no longer be justified as a fight against terrorism." Whether this pressure, which should be amplified by the publication of the review, makes any difference to Israel's conduct remains an open question.